Cantigny

About four years ago we started the tradition of going out to Cantigny on Memorial Day. Just a small way to honor our serviceman. It is now an annual picnic where my whole family gets together. We talked at the wedding about getting there about 10:30 a.m.. My Mom and Dad were there at 9:30 a.m. We arrived about 11:30 a.m. I don't like passing up any chance I get to sleep late. We packed some fruit, snacks and drinks and picked up sandwiches at Quiznos. The boys were really hungry and ate right away. It was a beautiful day and the kids were pretty much on their own. They played some catch and climbed the tanks. We checked out the gardens which were beautiful. It was a beautiful relaxing day. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

The Wedding

I picked up Grandma and Nancy about 2:30 and we drove out Woodstock for the wedding. It was drizzling a little bit. The tents were set up way in the back of Butch and Jan's yard. Everything pretty much started on time and by the time the ceremony was over the sky cleared up and the rest of the day was nice. It was great seeing the cousins and their families on my Mom's side. Butch and Jan will be moving shortly and this will be the last family reunion at their farm. We left about 9:30 and I made it back home about 11:30.

Memorial Day Weekend

Last night we went to Maywood Park with Papa. We stayed for five races and I won about $40.00. The boys had an excellent time and Papa showed them how to pick horses. This morning I made omelettes again and we went for a quick hike at the Oldfield Oaks forest preserve near the house. It's a lot greener than last time and I noticed a lot of large oak trees. We didn't see any deer probably because it was later in the morning. Tomorrow is a family wedding in Woodstock. It's gonna be outdoors and I'l have a chance to see all the cousins. Monday we plan to have our annual picnic at Cantigny in Wheaton. The boys will have a chance to climb on the tanks and honor our armed services veterans. The war museum there is excellent. http://www.rrmtf.org/cantigny/

Final Meet

We had our final track meet today. I had a heck of a time finding a parking spot. My youngest son was an altar server at the 7:30 a.m. Mass and afterwards we drove over to the meet. He got another ribbon in the open shot put. Our shot putters did very well. My oldest son came in third in the 800 meters after leading most of the race against the "best of the best." This was the big meet with over 20 schools participating at Downers Grove North High School. It was another beautiful day. We celebrated with lunch at Burger King. My oldest son is having a bunch of his friends over tonight for a get together. It's the inaugural fire for our fire pit.

Train Schedules

"When I was a kid, I went to the store and asked the guy, Do you have any toy train schedules?" - Steven Wright

Station Agent

I watched an interesting movie called The Station Agent. It was about a dwarf who inherits a train depot in a small town "Newfoundland" and the people he meets. If you're a train buff you will probably enjoy this movie. It's another example of how every person has an interesting story. I found it at our library in the DVD section. I had some time to kill while my oldest son was at the theatre with some friends from school.

Synopsis

Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) wants to be left alone. But at four foot five, fading into the crowd is an almost impossible task. Fin has responded to the unsolicited attention that his condition attracts by choosing a life of separation, alone with his one passion: trains. When Fin finds his isolation threatened, he retreats deeper into his self-contained world by taking up residence in an abandoned train depot in rural New Jersey. But much like the station agents that occupied small town depots before him, Fin finds himself, however reluctantly, enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors. A close call with an SUV introduces Fin to Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), a 40-year-old artist struggling with the recent death of her young son and the subsequent break up of her marriage. The hot dog stand next door is run by Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), an inquisitive 30-year-old with a talent for cooking and an insatiable hunger for conversation. From the forgotten depot this mismatched threesome forge an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared.

A Salty Piece of Land

I just finished reading "A Salty Piece of Land" by Jimmy Buffett. It was very enjoyable. He's a pretty good author. I just checked out his other novel "Where Is Joe Merchant." I'm looking forward to reading it. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer check it out. It's really a tropical fantasy, especially for guys. It's interesting where he got the idea for the book.

Indecision

"Indecision may or may not be my problem." - Jimmy Buffett

A Good Book

"A good book has no ending." - R. D. Cumming

The One Who Dropped It

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it." - Lou Holtz

Ability, Motivation, Attitude

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." - Lou Holtz

I heard Lou Holtz give a speech for Peak Performers in Rosemont.

Fourth Meet

We had our fourth track meet today and Glenbard North in Glen Ellyn. The weather was perfect. It was supposed to rain and it didn't. Our Junior Varsity team did great. My oldest son got a ribbon for the 1600 meters. We saw our old next door neighbors at the meet. After the meet was the fundraiser for my brother-in-law. Only one more meet and track season is over.

Yesterday the boys didn't have school and my youngest son went to a friend's birthday party. He was able to go swimming for the first time this year. After picking him up I took my oldest son to the eighth grade dance. He had to dress up and wear a tie. He went to a classmate's house afterwards until after 11:00 p.m. I felt like I was driving all over town all night. They had a great day.

It was also "free junior frosty day" at Wendy's www.wendys.com I stopped two times.

Dennis Rodman's Birthday

Today is Dennis Rodman's birthday. He was a professional basketball player mostly known for his controversial antics on and off the court and as a top defensive player and rebounder. After Bull's homegames he use to take off his jersey and throw it to a fan. He was married to Carmen Electra from 1998 to 1999 and dated Madonna for a while. I have an autographed copy of his book "Bad As I Want To Be." I was at his booksigning at Border's in Chicago when he wore make-up and a feather boa and then rode off on Harley. It was a huge media event. People were lined up for blocks. They said the lines were longer for him than for Colin Powell. Go figure.

Tony Hawk's Birthday

Today is Tony Hawk's birthday. He is often regarded as the most skilled and best-known skateboarder and is sometimes compared to Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky for his dominance in a sport. We had a chance to meet Tony Hawk backstage at the Second Annual ESPN Sports & Music Awards at Universal Studios. My sons had their picture taken with him and got his autograph.

No Excuse

"The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it." - George W. Bush

Reading

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Joseph Addison

A Good Example

"A good example is the best sermon." - Benjamin Franklin

Somebody Said

it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby...
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother "normal" is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct...
Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring...
Somebody never rode in a care driven by a teenager with a learner's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will turn out "good"...
Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices...
Somebody never came out the door just in time to see their child hit a ball through the neighbors kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother...
Somebody never helped a sixth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first...
Somebody doesn't have children.

Somebody said a mother can find all her answers to child-rearing questions in the books...
Somebody never had a child stuff something up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is the labor and delivery...
Somebody never watched her "baby" go to the first day of school or head away to college.

Somebody said amother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back...
Somebody never organized an event for their child's school.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married...
Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child child leaves home...
Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody says your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her...
Somebody isn't a mother.

I love you Mom - Thank you for everything!

60 Years Ago Today

Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Reich. On that date, massive celebrations took place, notably in London, where over a million people celebrated in a carnival atmosphere the end of the European war, though rationing of food and clothing was to continue for a number of years. In London crowds massed in particular in Trafalgar Square and up The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the Palace to cheering crowds. Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and her sister, Princess Margaret were allowed to wander anonymously among the crowds and take part in the celebrations in London. In the United States, President Harry Truman, who celebrated his 61st birthday that day, dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, because he had been so committed to ending the war. Roosevelt had died less than a month earlier, on April 12. The Allies had agreed to mark May 9, 1945 as V-E day, but western journalists broke the news of Germany's surrender prematurely, precipitating the earlier celebration. The Soviet Union kept to the agreed date, and Russia and other countries still commemorate the end of the Second World War, known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, as Victory Day on May 9th. The Allied Victory over Japan was known as V-J Day. It took place on August 15, 1945

Happy Mother's Day

"This hurts me more than it hurts you." - Your Mother

Third Track Meet

We had our third track meet today at Westmont High School. I didn't even know Westmont had a high school. On the way driving there we passed the Ty Warner Park. He's the guy who made a fortune from beanie babies. His company is based in Westmont and I think it's right across from the park. Our school did real well at the meet. My youngest son got another ribbon in shot put and my oldest son got three ribbons, one for shot put, one for discus and one for a relay. It was a good day. Only six more practices and two more meets and our season is over.

Bob Seger's Birthday

Robert Clark "Bob" Seger was born in 1945. An important figure in American Rock and Roll and Pop Music in the 1970s and 1980s. Seger started his musical career in the 1960s in his native Detroit as a singer and as the leader of the Bob Seger System. He is best known for his work with the Silver Bullet Band, a group he formed in 1974. Seger is known as a workhorse midwestern roots-rocker who dealt with blue-collar themes and toured constantly in support of his frequent album releases. As such he is often dismissed as a poor man's Bruce Springsteen, though this is an unfair comparison since Seger's career as a professional musician predates Springsteen's by five years. Seger's successes paved the way for other heartland rockers including John Mellencamp. Notable songs were "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man", "Get Out of Denver", and his classic take on life on the road, "Turn the Page." Seger achieved a commercial breakthrough with his 1976 album Night Moves which featured several hits including the highly evocative title song. Subsequently Seger had success with rockers such as "Hollywood Nights" and mellower mid-tempo ballads such as "We've Got Tonight" and "Against the Wind". His most recognizable songs are almost certainly "Old Time Rock and Roll" featured in the film Risky Business and "Like a Rock" most familiar to many younger Americans through its association with a long-running Chevrolet ad campaign. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame www.rockhall.com on March 15, 2004. Also during 2004, Seger was working on his first new album in 10 years, titled Face the Promise; release of this disc is thought to be delayed until some time in 2005.

I'm a big fan of Bob Seger's and saw him once in a concert at Poplar Creek in the 80's.
I guess that makes me a heartland rocker.

His website: www.bobseger.com

James P. Bandur

One of my old neighbors passed away suddenly last Sunday. Another shock as I just went to a wake for a former co-worker a couple of weeks ago.

In Memory of
James P. Bandur
August 29, 1950 - May 1, 2005

May the angels lead you into Paradise,
may the Martyrs receive you at your coming
and take your to Jerusalem, the holy city.
May the choirs of the Angels receive your,
and may you with the once poor Lazarus,
have rest ever lasting, Amen.

May the Souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Jim was a neighbor the whole time I lived on Fulton. I saw his kids Eric and Jamie grow up I didn't even recognize them at the wake. He was golfing at Sugar Creek in Villa Park with a former high school classmate of mine - Brian Bailey when he died. Too young.

Maybe I'm Amazed

Artist: Paul McCartney

Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Love Me All The Time
Maybe I'm Afraid Of The Way I Love You
Maybe I'm Amazed At The The Way You Pulled Me Out Of Time
And Hung Me On A Line
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way I Really Need You
Maybe I'm A Man And Maybe I'm A Lonely Man
Who's In The Middle Of SomethingThat
He Doesn't Really Understand
Maybe I'm A Man
And Maybe You're The Only Woman Who Could Ever Help Me
Baby Won't You Help Me Understand
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You're With Me All The Time
Maybe I'm Afraid Of The Way I Leave You
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Help Me Sing My Song
Right Me When I'm Wrong
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way I Really Need You

We Are Each Of Us Angels

“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another." -Luciano de Crescenzo

Imaginary Friend

"I was the kid next door's imaginary friend." - Emo Phillips

Make The Most Of Yourself

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stepping Stones

"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." - Jack Penn

Getting Real

"Change can come in either of two important ways: Start behaving positively or stop behaving negatively." - Dr. Phil McGraw

Healthy Choice

Well, I just finished eating my dinner a Healthy Choice Traditional Turkey Breast with gravy and dressing, vegetables and pumpkin and raisin dessert. 330 calories and 5 grams of fat. It wasn't bad. The pumpkin and raisin dessert reminded me of baby food. I got to thinking last night that's it's time to lose some weight for my next goal. I talked to my Mom today and she told me her neighbor died of a massive heart attack today playing golf. He was 53. This is just after a co-worker of mine died of a massive heart attack at age 48. Both too close to my age. Since April 1st I've been wearing my pedometer religiously to keep track of my activity. My record day so far is 12,651 steps, about six miles. My record with my old pedometer was 15,210 on the day we walked around Washington D.C. last summer on vacation. I hope to beat both records shortly. Helping out with the boys track has kept me active. Last night when I was surfing I came across "Lumpy's" website www.jimtoth.com . He won Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge last year and he's my inspiration. Today I'm going to start reading "The Ultimate Weight Solution - The 7 Keys To Weight Loss Freedom" by Dr. Phil McGraw www.drphil.com . I picked up a copy at the Friends of the Library used book sale for 50 cents. What a bargain.

May

"My wife's jealousy is getting ridiculous. The other day she looked at my calendar and wanted to know who May was." - Rodney Dangerfield